Digimon Redemption: For The Love of Courage
by djb21212-Steeldramon21
Summary: This is Part One in the remastered Digimon: Redemption series. A familiar Digimon has returned for revenge in the Digital World. With only Wargreymon, can Taichi pull himself together and save the day again? ::Taiora:: Originally posted 9102001. Enjoy!


Digimon: Redemption  
Part 1: For The Love of Courage  
Written by: Steeldramon21 

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Never had, never will.

Introduction: This is the next story in my remastering project. A familiar enemy begins taking over the digital network but Tai must face him alone. With only Wargreymon, can the hero of Courage save the day? If you liked the original version of this story, please review again and enjoy!

Characters:

Taichi and Agumon  
Sora and Biyomon  
Koushiro  
Mimi

What is Love? How do you define the emotion called Love? Some would say that Love is the ability to be there for a person that you care for. Some say that it is even the very essence of Life itself. Yet, very few can understand the power of it, the power to create and destroy as well as heal and hurt alike. In the case of Taichi Kamiya's case, it would prove to be the means of his own destruction as well as his personal salvation.

Over the years, he had to become the bearer of both physical and psychological torment. As the leader of the DigiDestined, he had no choice but to endure this torture at the hands of many evil Digimon. With his Digimon partner, Agumon, by his side, the pain was considerably lessened. However, there was one battle in which Agumon's help was not going to change the outcome.

Out of all of the other DigiDestined, other than his own sibling Hikari, he had been closest to Sora Takenouchi. She was known throughout the Digital World as the bearer of the crest of Love. She embodied the best of all people in her heart. Her compassionate nature was only enhanced by her beauty and skills as an athlete, which would've stricken a chord with any man's heart. Taichi had always considered her his closest and best friend for several years, a firm bond already established between the two. Yet, since the battle with MaloMyotismon several weeks before, things had suddenly taken an unexpected turn for the worst.

Yamato Ishida was a fellow DigiDestined, the bearer for the crest of Friendship, and one of Tai's principle rivals in the group. Though the blond had built an uneasy friendship with the child of Courage, he had sworn to outdo him at every possibility that came. He had celebrity status as a musician. Tai's successor in leadership, Daisuke, began to emulate the blond singer more and more as time wore on. But all of it paled the day that Taichi learned Matt and Sora were dating.

At first, he had bore no ill will toward the two. They were still his friends so he had to be happy for them. He forced himself to smile, even when it killed him inside to see them kiss or say sweet words to each other. He had to stay quiet, since a true leader wouldn't ruin his friendship to get what he wanted. It wasn't fair, the child of Courage would admit later, but had to be done. Out of concern, Kari had asked Sora to talk to him after telling her of how he felt. When she came, he did the only thing he could to protect her happiness. It would be an act that would haunt him for several days afterward.

He pushed her away.

Tai had spent many sleepless nights lamenting that choice, wondering if he was indeed truly ready to let go of his feelings for the scarlet-haired child of Love and move on. It wouldn't be until two weeks later that his decision would return to haunt him. He had been walking in the park near Highton View Terrace with Agumon, a place dear to the DigiDestined and a place that he had called home. It was the scene of some of their most terrific battles and where their adventures began in the Digital World. It was chilly that day so he wore his long blue coat over his regular blue sweatsuit. In addition to his favorite blue headband that straddled his brown hair, he seemed a bit unusual to some people, like a track and field runner doing his routines. He had been minding his own affairs when he noticed Matt and Sora on a nearby bench talking. It seemed perfectly normal at first but what happened next caused Tai's heart to nearly stop.

They had shared a kiss.

It looked a little forced, almost uncertain and a bit clumsy, but it was a genuine kiss. Tai shook his head in disbelief, thinking and hoping that he was seeing things. But it was no illusion. With silent tears clouding his chocolate-brown eyes, he ran away from the scene with Agumon asking him what was wrong. Unknown to Tai, Sora opened her eyes and had seen Tai running away. She called out to her friend but he was beyond the sound of her voice.

Tai reached his home and ran straight into his bedroom, not wanting to explain himself to his partner Digimon. Luckily, Kari was away with a friend for the weekend. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, including his own sister. He flopped down on his bed and let the tears finally fall from his eyes, unwilling to shed them as they ran down his cheeks and formed wet stains on his pillow. He could defeat hundreds of Virus-type Digimon and not even flinch. Yet, what he had witnessed had the power to crush him far more than any of those things. Sora had taken his suggestion, to move on in her relationship with Matt, and he was powerless to stop it. Still, her happiness was paramount to Tai and he was willing to do anything to maintain it, even if it meant denying himself his own heart. He cursed himself for this outcome, for letting his own pride get in the way of telling her how he felt sooner. Resolved in his self-appointed heartache, Tai slowly changed out of his clothes and flopped onto his bed, his body now numb with grief and anguish. He began to drift into a deep sleep, hoping that the dream world was more forgiving than the real world.

++++++

The next day, Tai awoke to the shrill tone of his telephone ringing in the next room. He pulled himself out of bed and stumbled to the phone, mumbling several unpleasant words about the person on the other line. He picked up the receiver and was greeted by an old friend.

"Hey, Tai." The voice said cheerfully.

"Izzy, what's up?" Tai said to the DigiDestined's resident genius, his spirit lifting somewhat from the sound of his long-time friend.

"Nothing. So, how are you holding up since..." The child of Knowledge asked to his friend. He was also well aware of Tai's ligering feelings for Sora, having hinted it toward Matt during the search for the Dark Spore children a month prior. He had dropped it when Matt replied that he trusted both of them yet remained concerned for Tai's well-being. His attitude was darker, more serious than usual. He had nearly become a recluse, only seen when he was either playing soccer or helping to deal with any Digimon problems. This was the only time that Tai was allowed to be his true self.

"Since Sora and Matt became official last month? I'm cool." Tai lied through clenched teeth, not wanting to think about what he had seen. "I mean, why wouldn't I be since my best friend and my rival are hot for each other? I'm fine, Izzy." Tai finished, the tone telling the child of Knowledge to change the subject to something more neutral.

"I hope so, Tai. Anyway, we have an emergency in the Digital World. I need you to get over here right away."

"Whose else is there?" Tai asked. Izzy knew right away to whom he was referring from the cold tone in his voice.

"Sora's here, Tai." Izzy said, a little worried about his friend. "So is Mimi. But Matt's visiting his grandmother with T.K and won't be here. Davis, Ken, and the others are visiting the different DigiDestined around the world. Joe's busy with college prep."

"O.K. Izzy. I'll be there in a few minutes." With that, Tai hung up the phone and went back to his room. He changed into his blue jogging suit and his goggles that he got back from Davis a month earlier. They still fit perfectly over his head. He then picked up his old digivice and went out the door. Later, as Tai entered Izzy's apartment, he saw Sora there sitting on the couch talking to Mimi. His eyes gave away some sadness, as if he wanted to tell her what his heart was feeling. He soon repressed it, only focusing on what he was there for. Sora looked at her friend and felt heartbroken for him.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Mimi asked her long-time friend. "You look awful."

"It's Tai, Mimi." Sora said sadly. "We haven't talked in almost a month and ever since he saw me and Matt in the park yesterday, he's been avoiding me."

"Well, maybe you should try and talk to him now." Mimi suggested. "Tai is your best friend. If it were me, I would do the same thing."

"I don't know, Mimi." Sora said. "He wouldn't even look at me anymore. I don't know what to do." Just then, Izzy called them all to his computer and began to explain the problem.

"I just received an email from Gennai. We have to go to the Digital World immediately to stop an old enemy again."

"Is it Myotismon?" Mimi asked with an annoyed look on her face. "Because if it is..."

"No. It's someone else that we fought before. This is his previous form." Izzy then drew up a picture on his computer. Sora gasped and Tai clenched his fists.

"Apocalymon." Tai said with a deadly look in his eyes. All four of them remembered all too well that particular Digimon who had haunted both of their nightmares for weeks after their first Digimon adventure. He had been the deadliest of all the Digimon that they had ever faced. If it hadn't been for their Digimon reminding them of what their crest symbolized, they would have been destroyed.

"Right. But somehow, his data has combined with the remains of both MaloMyotismon and Diaboromon and created his new form, Anthraxmon." He then drew up a picture of the mutant Digimon's present form. "Somehow, he is now trying to seize control of the center of the Digital World. It's a kernel nexus where all of this world's and the Digital World's information meet. If he gains control of it..."

"It will be Diaboromon all over again." Tai finished. If it hadn't been for Omnimon and Imperialdramon, they would never have defeated the Internet Digimon.

"Right. Without Imperialdramon or MetalGarurumon, that leaves just WarGreymon to fight him. I already called Agumon to the nearest DigiPort to meet you. I'll stay here and provide information for you if necessary."

"All right, Izzy." Tai said as he whipped out his digivice.

"Tai, if you see Palmon, please tell her that I miss her." Mimi said.

"Sure, Mimi." He was then swept into the portal immediately. Just as Sora was about to follow him, Izzy placed his hand on her arm.

"Sora, I need you to stay here as well, in case he can't handle this Digimon alone." Izzy said. "Besides, Tai is the only one who has a Mega Digimon and will need his full concentration for this one."

"...All right, Izzy." Sora said reluctantly, understanding what Izzy meant.

++++++

Tai exited the portal in a very unique place. The entire area was made of pure light for miles with no sign of life anywhere. Agumon was waiting for them outside the portal, loyal to his partner.

"Hey Agumon!" Tai said as he gave his dinosaur-like Digimon a hug, happy to see his partner once again.

"Tai! It's been a while." Agumon said to his partner. "Did you bring food?"

"Not this time, sorry. So, where is Anthraxmon?" Tai said. He surveyed the landscape with his chocolate brown eyes and found absolutely nothing. There were no sky, no ground, or trees as far as the human eye could see. Suddenly, an evil-sounding laugh emerged from the void. It seemed to come from all directions.

"I know who you are. You want to stop me but you will ultimately fail." The voice seemed to get louder. Just then, the nonexistent ground rippled and formed into a platform. It had a dizzying array of circuit patterns on it and was formed into a crude transparent throne. On the throne was a sickeningly black cocoon. When the cocoon opened, the shell revealed itself to be Anthraxmon's semi-metallic wings. The cyborg mutant Digimon glared at the bearer of Courage from his throne. "Greetings, Taichi Kamiya. Prepare to face the ultimate evil."

"Izzy, what can you tell me?" Tai said into his digivice.

Izzy, back at his computer terminal, typed rapidly in an effort to analyze the situation. Sora was watching with worry etched in her face. She didn't want her friend getting hurt and desperately wanted to help him. Mimi was watching with concern as well.

"Tai, that's the Digital World's nexus circuitry. He's formed it into some kind of interface for himself." Izzy said. "Even though he's only one Mega, he has the power of four Mega Digimon because of the interface. If you can't separate Anthraxmon from it, you'll have to destroy both him and the interface."

"Got it." Tai said.

"Tai," Sora said through Izzy's computer, "promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise, Sora." Tai said. He then held up his digivice to Agumon as the Digimon glowed with orange energy. "Ready, Agumon?"

"Yeah." The dinosaur-like Digimon responded. "Let's go!"

"Do as you wish. I am made up of all the Digimon you have defeated in the past. You have no hope of stopping me." Anthraxmon said as he laughed.

"Agumon, warp digivolve to... WarGreymon!"

Anthraxmon arose from his cybernetic throne, various connections being severed from his body in the process. He glared at both warriors of Courage with an evil look in his eyes.

"Because you defeated me before, I have a little surprise for you. Omega Crusher!" Suddenly, he extended several cables from his arms to wrap around WarGreymon's body. The Mega Digimon deflected the attack with his claws, striking them where he could.

"Give him hell, WarGreymon!" Tai shouted.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted as he formed a globe of orange energy above his head and slammed it into Anthraxmon. The energy globe exploded against the mutant Digimon's body, creating a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, Anthraxmon was still standing, unfazed by the attack.

"Crimson Mist!" Anthraxmon shouted as he launched several bolts of negative energy from his body. They hit WarGreymon and charred some of his armor off of his body. The attack did severe damage to him as well as Tai, who was knocked off of his feet. The Mega Digimon slammed into the ground hard.

"Don't give up, WarGreymon!" Tai shouted as he got to his feet.

"Right, Tai." WarGreymon said, also getting to his feet. "Mega Claw!" he said as he created an energy tornado that ripped through Anthraxmon's body. A large, gaping hole was torn into him, exposing some of his internal circuitry and body parts. Yet, when WarGreymon stopped spinning, he was STILL standing! Also, the hole had completely healed. The mutant Digimon laughed at both heroes of Courage.

"Did I forget to tell you about my regenerative powers? Virus Grenades!" Anthraxmon shouted as he launched several missiles from his body. WarGreymon blocked the attack with the shield on his back. It proved to be too much and it soon shattered into digital data.

"You can do it, WarGreymon!" Tai shouted, his Courage building up more and more. "Don't give up now!"

WarGreymon then prepared to finish the cyber Digimon, his strength all but exhausted. "Nova Missile!" WarGreymon shouted as he glowed with orange energy and launched himself like a missile. Anthraxmon smacked him aside with his arm, knocking the Mega Digimon into a nonexistent wall like a rag doll.

"Oh man." Tai said in disbelief. This Digimon was definitely strong, stronger than anyone expected. The mutant Digimon then wrapped several cables around WarGreymon and ran several volts of electricity through them, weakening the giant Digimon. WarGreymon broke the cables with all of his strength, stood up again, and prepared to launch himself at Anthraxmon for the last time. His armor was charred, cracked, and chipped in certain areas. His tough reptilian skin was also noticeably scarred and burned. Yet, WarGreymon knew that he must protect Tai at all costs.

"I won't stop protecting Tai." WarGreymon said in defiance. He was obviously weakened as he struggled to stay on his feet. "You'll have to destroy me first."

"You are a brave one, WarGreymon, but you shall still fail." Anthraxmon said, a sneer written on his demonic face. "Now, prepare to face your doom!"

"Wing Blade!" A giant bird of fire slammed into Anthraxmon, knocking him backwards. Tai and WarGreymon turned to see Sora flying in on Garudamon's back, the wind whipping her hair around her face. The avian Digimon set down next to him and a severely injured WarGreymon, who was astonished.

"WarGreymon, are you all right?" Garudamon asked she went to the Mega Digimon.

"I've been better." WarGreymon said to the giant bird-woman. "I need a vacation."

"Sora, what are you doing here?" Tai said.

"I came to help you." Sora said to her friend. "I'm won't let you fight this monster alone, Tai."

"All right." Tai reluctantly agreed, turning his attention back to the battle. "We have to focus on destroying Anthraxmon. Go, WarGreymon!"

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted, once again launching a globe of energy with all of the Courage from Tai that he could summon. Anthraxmon's massive wings closed around him, shielding him against the attack. They reopened to reveal that the mutant Digimon was STILL standing.

"Terra Destroyer!" Anthraxmon shouted as he formed a ball of negative energy in his hands. He flung it at WarGreymon and it exploded, destroying what was left of his armor plating and injuring the warrior of Courage. It also forced WarGreymon to de-digivolve back into Agumon. The Digimon slammed into a nonexistent floor, unconscious and severely injured.

"WarGreymon, no!" Tai shouted, horrified at the outcome of this battle.

"It is over." Anthraxmon said with a mechanical chuckle. "The victory belongs to me!"

"Not if I can help it, you ugly blowhard!" Tai shouted as he started to run straight towards him with fire in his chocolate eyes. He would not surrender without a fight, since it went against his nature to quit.

"Tai, don't do it!" Sora shouted, trying to keep her friend away from the mutant Digimon. She grabbed his arm, sensing what he was about to do. "Without Wargreymon, he'll kill you!"

"Don't try to stop me, Sora!" Tai snapped. "You know that I have to do this! Anthraxmon has to be stopped, no matter the cost!"

"But Tai, you only have Agumon and he's barely able to stand! Let me and Garudamon fight instead. Please."

Tai looked into her crimson eyes and saw the determination written on her face. She wanted to help protect him for a change. For a second, she had become the Sora he knew from childhood once more. "All right, Sora. Good luck." He said to her. Sora then mounted the massive bird and flew off to face Anthraxmon.

"Wing Blade!" Garudamon said as a firebird was unleashed from her body. The attack piled into Anthraxmon. Yet, when the attack fizzled, he was almost undamaged.

"Giga Cannon!" The mutant Digimon shouted as he fired a beam of high-energy plasma at Garudamon from the cannons on his back. The bird-woman Digimon barely avoided the attack. Sora fought to stay on her Digimon.

"Be careful, Garudamon!" Sora said to her Digimon.

"Don't worry, Sora. I will protect you." Garudamon said to her partner, reassuring her.

"Perhaps, but who will protect you? Giga Cannon!" Anthraxmon shouted as he fired several bolts of energy from his cannons at Garudamon, scarring her and burning parts of her body. The bird-woman was thrown onto the ground, causing Sora to fall off. Luckily, Tai was nearby and caught her in his arms.

"Sora... are you all right?" Tai said to his friend somewhat nervously. For a few seconds, it felt good to hold her in his arms, as if she were the missing piece of himself he had pushed away. But then, he remembered her relationship with Matt and snapped out of it promptly.

"I'm... I'm okay, Tai." Sora said, blushing lightly but also shaking the feeling from her. She wanted Tai to keep holding her but she shook off the feeling. As he put her down, Tai noticed that Garudamon had reverted to Biyomon and that she was also injured. There was fire in his chocolate eyes once again as he glared at the mutant Digimon.

"You won't win, Anthraxmon. I'll stop you myself if I have to!" Tai vowed.

"How brave of you. A pity that you shall be transformed into a martyr. Omega Crusher!" Anthraxmon shouted as he released several more cables at Tai, shocking him, and throwing into a nonexistent wall. He collapsed on the ground as limply as a rag doll beside his Digimon.

"I guess neither of us could stop him, Tai." Agumon said weakly to his partner. "I'm so sorry."

"It's... okay, Agumon." Tai said weakly. "At least we went down fighting."

"TAI!" Sora ran over to her friend with horror in her amber eyes. Tai was lying on the ground, weakened considerably but still alive. Sora cradled his head in her arms, tears coming into her eyes. "Tai, tell me you're okay.."

"Sora..." Tai said as he got to his knees in pain. "I'll be fine. I just had to keep you safe, that's all. I... I promised myself that I would protect you and I'm keeping it, no matter what."

"Tai, that doesn't mean that you have to die. You're my best friend, and maybe... even something more. You've always been special to me and if you died... I could never live with myself. I still need you, Tai. So please, don't give up." Sora said, the tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"But Sora, what about Matt?" Tai said as he slowly sat up, his body in pain from Anthraxmon's attack. "He's your boyfriend now. I can't take that from him, even though I hated him a little for it. Sora, if he makes you happy, I won't stand in your way. I told you that."

"Tai..." Sora said with tears in her eyes. She now understood why Tai had stayed away from her for so long. She decided at that moment to finally take Mimi's advice and talk to her friend. "I care about Matt, too, but... But he's not you. You were the one that my heart spoke to all these years, not him. You were always there for me when I needed you most, even when I didn't see it or wanted to ignore it. That's why I broke up with Matt that day that you saw us in the park."

Tai was surprised. For him, this was good news. He didn't know how to handle this. At last, the girl that he so longed for finally felt for him what he felt for her. Then Sora said what was in her heart since the day they first met. It was something that the DigiDestined of Courage had hoped for since that concert last Christmas.

"I love you, Taichi." Sora said as her body gave off a deeply passionate red glow. The crest of Love had been restored, as it's emblem appeared brightly on her heart.

"I... I love you too, Sora." Tai said as his body began to glow a fiery orange. The crest of Courage was also restored, as it's emblem also glowed on Tai's heart. He cradled her face with the palms of his hands gently. Sora shivered from the touch, renewed energy flowing into her from Tai's fingertips. Then, in the center of the Digital World, Sora Takenouchi and Taichi Kamiya shared their first kiss. It was a very deep and passionate kiss, flooding both of them with tremendous energy from their crests. The energy coursed around them and through them, mixing in tendrils and rings of power. The orange-red energy then exploded across the entire area in a shockwave of fiery light. It spread out across the Digital World in waves of energy, touching all of the Digimon with a little bit of Courage and Love. It also spread into the real world, reactivating the long-dormant crests of the original DigiDestined wherever they were in the world. Izzy and Mimi, who were at his computer, smiled to themselves. They both knew all along that Sora and Tai were responsible. Earlier, Sora had waited until Izzy went to the kitchen for some brownies. She had planned to go into the Digital World to help Tai. Mimi tried to stop her but Sora said that she had to help Tai. She then went into the Digital World, leaving both DigiDestined behind. Izzy wasn't angry. He was more or less worried about both of his friends. Mimi was also afraid that both of them would get hurt. Meanwhile, the energy in the Digital Nexus was stripping Anthraxmon of his powers.

"What is going on?" Anthraxmon protested in anger. Biyomon began to glow a red color as she was filled with the energy of Sora and Tai's Courage and Love. Agumon also began to glow an orange color with the same energy. Both Digimon felt like they wanted to burst with the tremendous power.

"Agumon, warp digivolve to... WarGreymon!"

"Biyomon, warp digivolve to... Phoenixmon!"

"WarGreymon..."

"...Phoenixmon..."

"DNA digivolve to... SoulOmnimon!"

"Wow." Sora said as she broke the kiss, felling somewhat dizzy and giddy at the same time. She looked up at the new Mega Digimon, who now glowed with the energy she had shared with Tai. The energy soon faded from her and Tai as they returned to normal. "Biyomon warp-digivolved and our crests are back?"

"Izzy, can you tell us anything?" Tai said as he stood up, fully healed from the power of his crest and from the strength of the kiss that they shared. Both he and Sora were washed over with the intensity of that one cherished moment that they shared. He also looked at the new Mega Digimon, who was standing proudly along side of both of its partners.

"That's SoulOmnimon." Izzy said, typing on his keyboard and sharing the brownies with Mimi. He just received emails from the other older DigiDestined asking him to explain why their old crests had been reactivated. "It's a DNA Mega Digimon formed from Phoenixmon, Biyomon Mega form, and WarGreymon. It uses two attacks. It's first one is it's "Fire of Courage" attack, shooting a powerful beam of fire from the WarGreymon side. From the Phoenixmon side, it uses it's "Power of Love" attack, transforming that side into a cannon and shooting a powerful thunderbolt. Somehow, the energy from the Courage and Love shared between you and Sora restored our internal crests."

"If it caused Biyomon to warp digivolve, and then to DNA digivolve, then that must have been one heck of a kiss." Mimi said.

"Amazing." Tai said as he and Sora blushed slightly from the comment.

"Incredible." Sora added.

"No! My plans for conquest will not be denied! Giga Cannon!" Anthraxmon shouted as he fired several bolts of plasma from the cannons on his back. Tai covered Sora with his body, in case the attack should hit them. SoulOmnimon jumped in front of them and used its body to absorb the attack.

"Don't worry, children." SoulOmnimon said in the dual voices of WarGreymon and Phoenixmon. "I shall protect you. Now it's payback time." It pointed the WarGreymon arm at Anthraxmon, drawing in energy from around it to use for both attacks. The WarGreymon side glowed with orange light as did it's eyes. "Power of Courage!" SoulOmnimon shouted. A massive beam of fire slammed into Anthraxmon in an explosion of orange energy, sending him flying from his throne. As a result, the interface was completely destroyed. The monster Digimon landed away from the ruined throne, his body terribly scarred and his wings frayed horribly. Then, SoulOmnimon flew into the air above the scene, it's eyes also glowed with the energy. The Phoenixmon side began to also glow with a red light.

"Impressive, but even if you win this battle, the war is far from over!" Anthraxmon said as he grinned evilly. "You may think that you've beaten me but you really haven't. The Digimon that are a part of me are still in the Digital World, ready to destroy anything in their way. What do you say to that?" Despite his arrogance, Anthraxmon knew that once the fused Digimon launched it's other attack, it was all over.

"Just one thing. Power of Love!" SoulOmnimon shouted. The Phoenixmon side transformed into a cannon and fired a giant thunderbolt at Anthraxmon in the form of the crest of Love. As the energy hit the cyber Digimon was hit, he screamed from the pain and agony. There was the sound of circuitry being fried and the faint smell of charred flesh as the mutant Digimon disintegrated into nothingness. Soon, he was totally gone. As SoulOmnimon landed, it reverted to Agumon and Biyomon. Both Rookie Digimon joined their partners.

"That was great, Agumon." Tai said as he gave his dinosaur-like Digimon a huge hug.

"Tai, you're squeezing my ribs too hard!" Agumon said to his friend.

"Biyomon, I'm so proud of you!" Sora said, overjoyed for her bird-like Digimon. "You digivolved all the way to the Mega level."

"It was your love that helped me to digivolve, Sora." Biyomon said to her friend. Sora then stood to address her friend, sadness beginning to fill her amber eyes.

"Tai, I want you to know that I'm... I'm so sorry." Sora said with some tears coming into her eyes.

"About what?" Tai asked.

"About everything. I never knew that you felt like that. If I had any idea..." Tai then put his hand on her shoulder, letting her sadness ebb away. He then stroked her cheek with his hand, wiping away the tears that flowed.

"Sora, I said that it's okay. I told you then that I'd wait for you. Now, I'm glad that I did." Tai then smiled at Sora with a silly-looking grin, making Sora smile as well. They kissed once more, still feeling the rush of the first one. When they broke it this time, they were greeted by the curious looks of their Digimon. Both Tai and Sora blushed deeply from embarrassment.

"Uh... well..." Tai began.

"We were just... uh..." Sora started.

"It's okay. We know all about that kissing stuff." Biyomon said.

"Yeah. We know all about it." Agumon said, exchanging knowing looks with Biyomon. Tai and Sora were perplexed.

"Do you think that they..." Sora started.

"If they are, I don't want to know." Tai said. "Let's just go home."

"Okay, Tai." Sora said, clasping his hand tightly. They walked to the DigiPort and bade farewell to their Digimon, who noticeably were beginning to realize feelings of their own. Agumon and Biyomon also had their arms linked, telling their partners all that they needed to know. The two children were then swept home to Izzy's home, where they all landed on top of the resident Digimon genius and his girlfriend.

"Get off!" Izzy said, annoyed at the couple. "You're crushing my brownies!"

"This is my best designer outfit!" Mimi said, also annoyed at the couple. "If it's ruined, someone's buying me a new one!"

"Sorry, guys." Tai and Sora both said, laughing at the situation. Izzy couldn't help but laugh as well with them at the situation. Mimi also laughed along with them, knowing that she had seven more at home like it.

++++++

A month later, Tai arrived at Sora's home, dressed in a formal-looking suit. Tonight was the anniversary of the day that he and Sora first met on the soccer field, the day they had become friends for the first time. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers with him and a small jewelry box. In the box was a gift that he thought that Sora would never receive, custom-made gold necklace. The center was a large heart-shaped ruby hand-crafted in the shape of the crest of Love. It had cost Tai his entire life savings to have custom-made at the best jewelry store in Japan. Still, to the bearer of Courage, it was well worth it. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Sora's mother, who was busy washing dishes.

"Hi, Mrs. Takenouchi." Tai said as he smiled.

"Hello, Taichi." Mrs. Takenouchi said as she dried her hands on a towel. "It's nice to see you again."

"Is Sora ready?" Tai asked.

"As a matter of fact, she is." Just then, Sora entered the room and Tai's jaw nearly dropped. She was wearing a red spaghetti-strap dress that reached down to her feet, the silk shining in the lighting of the room and accenting the delicate curves on her body. She was also wearing the hair clip that Tai had given her for her birthday in her red hair. In the florescent light, she had a near-flawless appearance. Sora saw the look on Tai's face and blushed slightly. It was from both embarrassment and attraction, because she had gasped when she saw her friend.

"Hey... hey Tai." Sora said to her friend, the blush not fading from her face.

"Sora... you... you look great." Tai stammered, also blushing. "You ready to go?"

"Um... sure." As the two walked out the door, Mrs. Takenouchi smiled to herself. Somehow, she had always known that Tai and Sora would end up together ever since they met on the soccer field as kids. It's sometimes called a mother's intuition. Before leaving the block to start the evening,  
they went to the park near Highton View Terrace and sat down on a nearby bench. The place was ironic for Tai because it was here that he had seen Matt and Sora share a kiss several weeks before. Yet, he gathered his Courage from that day to give him strength and it paid off.

"Sora, I wanted to give you this at Christmas but I guess now is a good time." Tai reached into his pocket and pulled out the small jewelry box. Sora gasped in surprise, recognizing where it came from. As Tai opened it, she felt tears coming to her eyes.

"Tai, it's beautiful." Sora said, coming very close to crying over the expensive piece of jewelry. She picked up the gold locket and fingered it gently.

"There's an inscription on the back." Tai pointed out. As Sora read the inscription, her eyes were filled with tears of joy and bliss. It read:

"The beauty of this necklace pales in comparison to the beauty of your heart."

Nothing else was said as the two were drawn into a very deep and passionate kiss under the moonlight. It wasn't as intense as the one that they shared in the Digital World but it still manage to make both DigiDestined dizzy. They remained there for another few minutes before moving on, now under the influence of a bond that no force on Earth or the Digital World could break.

Love is a force that very few of us understand. Sometimes it can help us, such as coming to the aid of a loved one, or creating a new life, such as the act of birth. Sometimes it can prove fatal, such as the case of Romeo and Juliet. In Taichi Kamiya's and Sora Takenouchi's case, it restored their hearts

The End (R&R, please!)


End file.
